Recovery
by LostInThoughtDR
Summary: With half of his friends dead, half of Thomas's own self is dead with them. He now is struggling to recover. He swear he had lost what makes him human. Now Thomas with the help of his loved ones, will show the little ray of hope back into Thomas' life. TRENDA! Minho is also really involved. POST the death cure. Characters do not belong to me, but to Mr J. Dashner.
1. Prologue

**First TMR fanfic from me and hopefully it'll be my best and only. PLEASE, I suck at updating so i'm warning you. But if you guys keep feedback constant, and encouraging me, i'll give you guys sooner updates. **

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The first thing Thomas saw when he opened his eyes was the orange tint of the sky. 'Where am I?' He was still disoriented from the deep sleep he had fallen into on the bed of grass. He let out a sigh and glanced at the sky for a moment, the memories of everything rushing back. Surprisingly, he didn't close his eyes as he remembered the last seconds of three of his best friends. Something about being here, made it more smoothing to recover from what had happened. But he knew he would never be the same.

Glancing at his side, a small slight smile spread across his lips. Brenda was asleep, using his arm as a pillow. The kiss of last night came to mind. It was a real kiss, not a kiss in the cheek that she would always give him (not that he disliked those). Brenda raised her hand to her face and rubbed her nose, her nose wrinkling up as she did. Her mouth was slightly open, her breathing audible to him. An unfamiliar noise came out from Thomas own mouth, surprising himself. He had laughed. Something so simple, so human as a laugh. After watching Teresa die, he thought he would never be human again. He had become something different: a murderer. Someone with no moral nor compassion.

He removed his gaze away from Brenda's sleeping figure and looked up at the sunrise sky. He closed his eyes now, trying to forget everything. Thats when he noticed that he didn't have sort of dream last night. All he dreamt about was pitch black darkness. What was happening to him? He was so far from recovery. Brenda shifted on her sleep, making herself comfortable. She pushed her head more against his shoulder instead of his arm, her arm spread across his chest, holding him close. Thomas did the same. He hugged her, trying not to wake her. Soon, he drifted back into another deep dreamless sleep.

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**Next chapter will contain some mild Trenda so yeah. I'll post it monday! I got it written. **

**Favorite, follow and REview! I appreciate it so much. Tell me any head-canons too! I'm not going to make this so dramatic (dramatic as in 'I shall kill you!' 'Oh no, an evil villian!' nothing of that. It'll be more of a ...slice of life, over the years thing for Thomas. His transformation. **


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning

This is the official first chapter

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Once he woke up again, he was alone. The sky was now bright blue, looking as beautiful as it ever was. Thomas stood up, shaking his clothes clean. He glanced around at the beautiful sight before he turned around, re-uniting with the others. For his own good, they were all together. Minho and Frypan, Aris and Gally, Jorge and Brenda. They were sitting down in the grass, surrounded by a controlled fire that he guessed Frypan had started.

"I will go out and find some food." He heard Frypan offer as he stepped closer to his friends.

"Good that." Minho agreed, "But don't go too fancy trying to find so many herbs and seasoning. Just take a group with you and get the most essential, which is basic foods."

Although Minho distributed roles yesterday, they had to continue organizing things until everything falls perfectly into place. The glade had about 50 kids, now they are dealing with a few of hundreds of people, of all sizes.

"I don't know what you guys are planning on doing, but we need clothes." Said a girl Thomas never seen before. She seemed a few younger than him, about 13 or 14. "And other...necessities."

Thomas finally reached his friends. Minho acknowledged his presence with a nod. He stood next to Brenda, who grabbed his hands. He gave it a squeeze as he sat down next to her.

"Somehow, it's a bit terrifying being on our own." Frypan said. Thomas knew what he was referring to. Back in the maze, at least they supplied them with food and everything they needed but now they were completely own in this beautiful but desolated place.

"We can build our own houses and hunt for our own food." Minho said. He wanted nothing to do with WICKED ever again.

"Yeah, but with what will we chop the wood, and with what weapons will we hunt?" The same girl from before countered. Thomas had to admit, she had a point. Minho looked angered that he was being defied but he had nothing to say.

"I've never been here, as anyone here." Brenda started saying. Thomas glanced at her, wondering what she was up to but she didn't met his gaze. Brenda's words of last night and that gleam in her eyes had made him suspicious but honestly, he wasn't going to ask her. He didn't want to know anything else. He trusted her so he didn't want to ask her anymore questions. "All I can say it's beautiful here and I wonder how the sun flares never reached it. I'm supposing it's somewhere around the north. My guess is we're in Alaska. Or Greenland, but that is less likely. I'm betting it's Alaska."

"Okay, genius, and thats relevant because?"

Thomas noticed Brenda take a deep breath to continue.

"Well, it's still in the planet Earth and there is bound to have some sign of civilization somewhere. I'm not saying a populated area, not anymore anyways, but there should be an abandoned town somewhere. And a town means..."

"Clothing stores." Said the teenage girl from earlier.

"Yeah, exactly. As well of some other necessities such as cooking utensils, mattresses, stuff like that. Perhaps a car or two. I bet the people left those behind."

Minho took that in and nodded with a shrug. Thomas was surprise he accepted Brenda's suggestion so easily. "So I guess this will be almost like the maze. Thomas and I will go out and draw maps on whatever we can find, we'll try to find any sort of the stuff you are mentioning."

Minho threw Thomas a look. Thomas nodded. He knew what that meant. The maze was a test for survival, and they needed to survive now. It'll be a more trickier than the maze but Thomas had the utmost confidence toward Minho and himself. They will do this. They will survive.

"We leave in the morning, at sunrise." With that, Minho stood up, letting them all know that the small meeting was over.

Thomas had a better sleep than he expected. Sure, the scared faces of his deceased friends still haunted him.. But last night it was...passable. Now, it was sun-rise and in a few minutes, he'll be out in the wilderness with Minho, exploring their new surroundings and hope, just hope, that they can find a town. He wasn't so sure if they wanted to come across civilization. What if it was a horrible ghost town filled with Cranks...? The thought made him cringe. But according to Jorge, small towns were mostly abandoned so there was little to no chance that he'll come across crazed faces.

Thomas stepped closer to a small lake to clean his face and also drink some of the sweet water. He will have to do his best today. Most people weren't complaining but he wondered how long they'll last without no kind of resources. Minho and he had to find something, they was around two hundreds lives counting on him.

"Hey dude." He heard Brenda say behind him.

He stood up, water dropping down his face. "Hey." He said, as he tried his best to dry his face with his hands.

"Minho is all ready. He is just waiting for you." She said. He noticed that she seemed more mellow from her usual self.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just..." She shrugged.

"It's just...what?"

"It's just this shouldn't be like this." She said with a sigh.

"Hey, don't say that." Thomas didn't want to hear Brenda being doubtful. That was his job, she was the one he trusted, his rock and if she had doubts...

"I'm sorry." She said and he saw a small guilty smile across her face although she had a frown.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him, "This isn't a test but we'll pass it anyways."

Instead of answering him, Brenda wrapped her hands around his waist and hugged him. It wasn't as if she never hugged him before but he could feel her closer now than he ever did. She needed him. And he for sure knew that he needed her. He didn't know where he would be without Brenda.

He pulled back to see her face. His eyes instinctively closed as he searched for her lips. He didn't care if she had lied to him about WICKED. He stopped caring when he saw her again in those scrubs back in their headquarters.

As much as he reached for her lips, he couldn't find them. He raised his brow and opened his eyes. Brenda had a smile on her face, her nose slightly touching his cheek. She had a playful look in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, the sound of his voice even catching himself by suprise.

"Just taking in that part where _you_ kiss me." She said with a giggle. True, in the past few days, it was always her. "It's a nice difference for once."

"Gee, thanks for ruining the moment." He muttered and slowly pulled back but Brenda grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him in.

"Sorry, Thomas." She said and then kissed him. He returned the kiss, afraid she'll pull back or simply disappear.

"Hey you two! Can you get your tongues out of each others throats so Thomas can go to work?!" Minho's voice roared from the side.

Thomas cursed his friend in his mind when Brenda pulled away, a small blush creeping through her cheeks.

"You should go." She said to him.

"Yeah." Was the only thing he could say.

"Be safe and don't get lost. Don't come too late or I'll kick Minho's butt for stealing you from me."

Thomas have smiled at her comment. He didn't think he'll ever recover but as long as he had his friends close, he was fine. She kissed his cheek one final time before he ran toward his best friend.

"Enjoying having a girlfriend, I see." Minho said as they slowly stepped into the pine forest. "You guys were acting as if you were leaving for war."

"Shut up." Thomas said, walking ahead, trying to hide from Minho's gaze.

Walking down the forest, they marked their path every few minutes. It was like the maze but this was the real deal, no tests nor experiences neither. It was similar to the maze but he didn't have his friends. They didn't make it and a part of him stayed with them. A small part of him was dead and he won't ever be capable of going back to it, just as his friends weren't able to return to him.


	3. Chapter 2: Doubts

Minho suggested not running. Not for now anyways. It'll take a lot of their energy, plus, these were unknown land. Beautiful land, but unknown nonetheless. If they run and get lost...well, he doesn't want to know what will happen. He didn't think it'll be as bad as anything back in the maze but it'll be nothing compared to Brenda's fury once she finds them.

Thomas was walking slowly, behind Minho's tracks. He had picked up a stick on the way so he was just poking the earth as he walked.

"I want to run." He said.

"Stop whining. We aren't running."

"Why not?" He asked like a child.

"Run if you want to run. But don't come crying back once you get lost and no one can find you."

That actually sounded like a good idea. The scenery was beautiful. He would love to get lost in them, seriously. It'll make him feel one with nature. It was almost impossible to believe that there is a place out there, far away, where disaster is unleashing.

Minho came to a halt and walked over to some bushes. He studied the fruit for a while before he spoke. "We'll take a break. This is a berry bush so feel free to stuff your face."

Thomas plopped down on the floor and laid his back against the fresh dewy grass. He let out steady breathes and drifted off into a sleep.

Brenda was near the lake, trying to rub off the accumulative dirt in her face, arms and hair. She couldn't believe boys were so clueless. She was afraid of what will happen in a few days but she had to be glad they were free and in this paradise. And she was glad. She was so glad they were free from that hell-hole.

She squeezed her damp hair and flipped it back. As she started walking back to the center of their little refugee, Jorge had joined her.

"So, are you going to tell him?" He asked with a brow raised in curiousity.

Brenda sighed and tried to respond but nothing came out. She knew very well what Jorge was referring to. Was she going to tell Thomas about _everything._ Absolutely everything, nothing behind. It was true she had lied, she came clean about that and he didn't seem mad, making her so happy. But it was true that she hadn't come forward about absolutely everything. How could she? Thomas had been so suspicious of everyone except her and Minho and she didn't want to lose him anymore. Besides, there was no time during their little trip to Denver and all. But something told her Thomas didn't want to know. He wanted to look into the future, whatever future he thinks about.

"When the time is right." She said after thinking deeply.

"And when is that?"

Brenda shrugged, "As if I know. Thomas been through a lot. Seeing his best friend die like that. It'll affect him. I know it will. It'll change him forever and I'm ready to accept that but he also seems...empty." Brenda voice came more muffled now. "Almost as if part of himself stayed back in the WICKED facilities. He won't ever be the same guy I met and fell for a few weeks ago. He seems...unhuman almost." Brenda whipped a tear before he fell. "What makes it worse is that I think he had committed too much mistakes and isn't worthy of much." The tears couldn't be contained anymore and Brenda was in tears, "I know I might be rambling and jumping into conclusions but what if Thomas really feels that way? I saw his face when Teresa died...I can never forget the look in his face. The world is in chaos and there isn't anything left to it. So what does this little paradise even mean? What good have we done to deserve this?"

Jorge couldn't take it anymore and pulled Brenda into a hug, shushing her so she could calm down. She was stoic, but she had finally broken down. He knew why she didn't want Thomas to see her like this. Thomas depended on her and she wanted him to see the strong Brenda, the smart Brenda, not the weak and scared Brenda.

Thomas was shaken awake by no other than Minho.

"Break's over. We are heading back."

Thomas stood up, cleaning his already rugged jeans.

"Why? It's probably only noon. Aren't we returning by sunset?"

"Look around, slinthead. It is sunset."

Thomas frowned and looked around. It was sunset. Half the sky was into a dark purple blue while the other was orange pink. It was beautiful, although he didn't really appreciate it. His mind didn't appreciate a lot of things right now.

"Did I sleep the evening away?"

"Yeah." Minho said with a smirk. "I left you there, figuring you needed the time alone."

Thomas didn't know what that meant but nodded anyways. It wasn't as if he needed sleep. He had gotten plenty of sleep in the past few days, yet he had slept the entire afternoon and evening and it felt like five seconds. He rubbed his forehead. Geez, he needed to get his stuff together. Soon.

"What are you waiting for? Let's head back."

Thomas looked up only to realize Minho was a few steps forward. When did he walk all the way there? Thomas was disoriented but followed his best friend back to his new home.

Jorge was glad that Brenda had pulled herself together. It was around evening and Minho and Thomas were soon to arrived any moment now. A middle-aged man approached Jorge slowly and hesitantly, as if he wasn't too sure about speaking to him.

"Hey,..." He said, his gaze lowered.

Jorge looked over at him. The man had short thin hair, wide shoulders and was pretty tall.

"You seem close to those kids who rescued us."

Jorge nodded, "Yeah, you can say that."

"I think we should talk. To those kids I mean. Figure something out, while we wait here."

He had a frightened look in his eyes, afraid of the future. Jorge knew what he was referring to. How will they survive with no spare clothes (except for the torn and ragged clothes they have on right now), with no way to chop wood, etc.

"I think they are aware of those concerns. They are smart kids."

"The women are already restless. The kids aren't as lively as they were once. They are just _kids_. Kids. They shouldn't have that scared and sad look in their eyes that they have on right now..."

Jorge sighed and ran a hand through his curled hair. He didnt know what to say to that. He shrugged, "I think we should just try to keep everyone in their best spirits."

"And what are we going to do _if_ we find this hypothetical town?" The man pushed on. "What if it doesn't go as we have planned. What then?"

Jorge was really out of words. This dude was asking pretty hard questions. "We just need to keep positive. Keep everyone's spirits up. Believe that we will survive."

The man closed his mouths. Apparently he ran out of questions or perhaps he just had so many he didn't know which one to say next. But Jorge wasn't going to take the chance. He quickly ended up the conversation by leaving and going over to the clearing where Brenda was.

"And what is this one?" Brenda asked a small child of about two years old as she held up a small blue berry. He was so cute and Brenda couldn't help but to want to play with the child. He had blond hair with chocolate brown eyes.

"Boo bayree." The child said with a small smile. The child was only wearing a pair of shorts. His mother had tried the best to clean him off and the child was indeed clean but one can still tell he had a hard time. Brenda couldn't believe WICKED would kidnap such a small child, but the only thing she can say was at least they had taken his mother with him as well. Brenda would do anything to see her father again but she knew it was impossible.

"Good job, Eli." Brenda said. Eli was the name of the toddler. She propped the small berry into the child's mouth. Eli ate it happily, causing Brenda to laugh.

"So cute." Brenda mused as she kissed the child in the cheek. Eli was eating more berries that she had picked up earlier.

Brenda looked up to the sky, wondering when will Thomas and Minho return. The sky was slowly turning into a smooth orange tint, so she wondered it won't be long till they returned.

"Eli!" Shouted a woman's voice.

Both Brenda and the child looked up to see a blond women walking toward them. Eli brightened up and smiled. "Momma!"

The mother glanced at Brenda as she picked up Eli. Brenda stood and walked away slowly. She rubbed her arm as she walked over to the small hill that she had fallen asleep the other day with Thomas. She stood there, glancing out at the ocean. Sure, they had escaped and life apparently was good now. WICKED couldn't reach them at all but will they, about two hundred people, will survive? It'll be a hard task ahead of them. Worse of all, she didn't think they'll step back and turn into a nomadic life style of million years ago. She was afraid.

As she approached the clearing, she saw Jorge speaking to a couple of kids in a semi-circle.

"There she is!" He exclaimed when she approached them. Brenda raised her brow at Jorge, wondering what this was all about. He raised his hand and patted her on the shoulder, "This is Brenda. And she'll join us today."

Wondering what this was all about, Brenda simply shrugged and decided to go along with it.

Arriving back to their little refuge, Thomas saw the older people of the group around the small fire. The teens of the group were either with the older ones, comforting them and giving them hope, or alone, asleep or doing something. Minho went straight to the lake; he had to wash his face and arms. Walking closer to the fire, Thomas wondered where Brenda was.

Laughs of small children came closer as he walked. Such a nostalgic sound it was. In search of what was going on that was bringing such joy to the little ones, he followed the cheery laughs. He walked over to a small section of forest, where the trees seemed to be more apart from each other, allowing large amount of space in between.

A slim figure appeared into his view. Brown hair flowing as she twirled around to see her pursuer. Pearly white teeth appeared with the smile it had brought. It was already in his knowledge that she was really pretty but right now she looked beyond just pretty; she was lovely, luminous, lively.

Brenda caught his gaze and her smile become larger. Before he knew it, Thomas was in front of her. She reached out for his hands, it appeared, since they were holding hands; or did he reached for her's? He didn't remember.

Her smile never faltered as she looked up at him with her hazel colored eyes. Such was the energy she produced in him, that he couldn't really believe if this was real or simply a dream. It couldn't be a dream since he hasn't had one of those in a while now, but something felt surreal. He removed her hands from his, but never left her warmth since he soon hugged her. Pulling her into his arms, head resting on her shoulder, he wished he could never let go.

The same feeling he had in the Scorch over him. He wanted to protect her. He didn't care if she lied about having the Flare, he never really cared about that since his feelings of protection was real. He wanted to be her protector and make sure she will be happy.

"Tag! You're it." A small hand had hit Thomas' lower back. He felt Brenda chuckle. Looking around him, he saw a small blond boy running away with one of the most jolly laughs he had ever heard.

"We were playing tag." Brenda whispered into his ear, still in his embrace. She took the chance and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek, "And you're it." She said and wiggled out of his arms.

Walking backwards, her gaze still looking straight at him, she smiled. That was the thing about Brenda. Even through the most miserable of moments, she found the human capacity to smile. To smile a smile so bright and genuine that moves his insides, making that part of him that was in a deep slumber shake in it's sleep. She giggled mischievously and ran into the small clearing, joining the couple of small children and toddlers.

Fitting with the moment and his feelings, the sun almost disappeared through the horizon, leaving them in darkness if it wasn't for that little ray of sunshine that fidgeted to leave them in the night dark. Seeing nothing more adequete to bid the day goodbye, he ran toward the same way Brenda had, kids laughing and running away from him, afraid they would be it.


End file.
